Guns & Fins

2009-01-09

There is nearly one handgun for every two Fins. Consequently, there are more guns in Finland than in any other Western European country. Only the US and Yemen have more guns in proportion. The liberal Finnish gun laws mean that it isn't impossible to aqcuire an AK-47, a weapon of war, if there is only a valid reason for obtaining the licence at the local police station. However, during 2009, Finland is to tighten its gun laws. This is unlikely to result in a total ban of handguns, which populist media as well as many Finns called for after the second school shooting in September 2008. The new Act is more likely to require shooters to become members of a gun association in order to keep using their guns. Many Fins already are, but have so far kept their guns in their homes and have been able to go shooting whenever they wanted to. The Finnish Minister of Justice, Tuija Brax, has been quoted saying owning a gun is no basic right. The 660 000 Finnish gun owners could hardly agree less.

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